A blog by Isagani R. Cruz. Dedicated to Old King Cole, who first suggested a blog devoted to literary works written or read in languages other than the mother tongue/s of the author/s. For info about blogger, go to http://www.isaganicruz.net.

13 March 2009

Macaronea and Rizal

Here is a stanza from the poem "Carmen Macaronicum de Patavinisis" (1488?), better known as "Macaronea," by Michele di Bartolomeo degli Odasi [Tifi Odasi] and Niccolò Leonico Tomeo:

The stanza (and the entire poem) uses broken or fractured Latin to make fun of the more-intelligent-than-thou scholars of that time. Jose Rizal, as Albert B. Casuga pointed out in a response to my March 5 post, did the same thing in his novels, when he used broken Spanish to show how silly the nouveau riche was in his days (and, may I add, even now).

Multilingual critics can quickly spot and should just as quickly explain such satiric intentions. Although the word "macaronic" (derived from the poem) is no longer a term of praise, the idea of satirizing inept second-language speakers has remained strong in literary writers and should be encouraged.

About Me

Former Philippine Undersecretary of
Education ISAGANI R. CRUZ (Ph.D., University of Maryland) is the president of The Manila Times College
and a Governor of the National Book Development Board. He belongs to the Hall of Fame of the
Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards in Literature and is one of the 2010
Outstanding Filipinos (TOFIL). He writes
for Philippine Star, Pilipino
Mirror, and China Daily.